Agnew, Spiro T.: Resignation

AGNEW, Spiro Theodore, (1918–96), 39th vice-president of the U.S. (1969–73). Born in Baltimore, Md., on Nov. 9, 1918, the son of a Greek-born father and an American mother, he served in the U.S. Army during World War II, then studied law at the University of Baltimore and became a practicing attorney. In 1962 he was elected Baltimore County executive as a Republican, and four years later he won the Maryland governorship. In 1968 and again in 1972 Agnew was elected vice-president on a ticket with Richard M. Nixon. As vice-president he became known for his flamboyantly phrased speeches denouncing liberals, radicals, and other critics of the Nixon administration.

In August 1973 it was revealed that Agnew was under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore on charges of bribery, extortion, tax fraud, and conspiracy. In October U.S. Attorney General Elliot Richardson (1920–99) formally charged him with having accepted bribes totaling more than $100,000 while holding office as county executive, governor, and vice-president. Denying the bribery charges, Agnew pleaded no contest to a charge of tax evasion. On October 10, he was fined $10,000 and sentenced to three years' probation. Just hours before, he had resigned, becoming the first U.S. vice-president to do so because of criminal charges. His resignation did not end his legal troubles, however. He was required to pay the federal government $150,000 in back taxes, plus interest and penalties. In January 1983, as a result of a Maryland civil suit stemming from the kickback allegations, he paid the state nearly $270,000.

	Agnew, Spiro T.

After leaving office he set up a business as an international trade consultant. He published a political novel, The Canfield Decision (1976), and a memoir, Go Quietly … or Else (1980), in which he charged that he had been pressured into resigning by threats on his life. Agnew died in Berlin, Md., on Sept. 17, 1996.

For further information on this person, see the section Biographies.